TIm Dickau, pastor of East Vancouver’s Grandview
Calvary Baptist Church was one of the speakers at StreetLevel 2009 – a March
25 – 27 Ottawa conference sponsored by the Evangelical Fellowship of
Canada.

The event, billed as a ‘Canadian forum on
homelessness designed to educate those who serve the poor,’ drew
hundreds of people working in the area of social justice throughout the
country.

As he told BCCN, Dickau’s experience at his
prominent (albeit no-frills) older church, equipped him to speak.

BCCN: What was your topic
at StreetLevel?

Tim Dickau: ‘Moving
from charity to justice’ – indeed, seeking to see how
evangelism and social justice fit together in a way of life that seeks
transformation in our cities.

BCCN: How long have you
been in the Commercial Drive area – and what changes have you seen
over that time?

TD: I’ve been here 20
years. I’ve seen much more signs of poverty – more people
sleeping on the street. And I’d say that gentrification has tripled
in the last 15 years. That all produces a lot of tension.

BCCN: What about changes in
your own church?

TD: When I came, there were
around 50 – 60 seniors only. The church was ready to close. Over a 10
year period we got re-rooted in the neighbourhood, and recovered our vision
for the neighbourhood, becoming a healthy [church] community. For the first
five years, most of our growth was through conversions.

We then made more connections with a wider demographic.
For the last five years, we’ve been about finding creative ways of
participating in the kingdom of God, and seeing transformation.

BCCN: Grandview has some
interesting and unique expressions. Can you describe some of them?

TD: Well, we have perhaps
15 – 20 percent of the 300 or so people in the church that live in
some expression of ‘community’ – developing a shared life
together, and a life of hospitality. We have five official ‘community
houses,’ that are part of the Salisbury Community Society –
along with another eight households that have others living with them.

BCCN: Can you describe ways
you help street people who you make contact with?

TD: One thing is our
JustWork program. It is about developing ‘social enterprises.’
For instance, we have a pottery room in the basement of the church, that
has some commercial element. There is JustGardening, JustCatering, and
JustRepair. Whenever anyone offers expertise, and is willing, we start
something new.

BCCN: There are many
‘entry points’ into your church community. Can you comment on
some of them?

TD: The ‘Out of the
Cold’ meal every Thursday evening attracts around 130 – many of
whom stay overnight. This is our primary meeting place. Kind of like the
‘city gate.’ We also have an intentional friendship program.
Crossroads employs three staff who go out and connect with people in our
neighbourhood. The church also offers the popular Alpha Course.

BCCN: Have you defined your
neighbourhood?

TD: Well, from Broadway to
Hastings, and Nanaimo to Clark. Around 30 percent of the church live in
that area, with 50 percent within 20 blocks of the church.

One other thing to note is the encouragement of the
East Vancouver Pastors group to me. We meet monthly, and are seeking to
find ways to cooperate together.

Dickau and his family participate extensively in the
community life he described. Over the past 18 years, they have had a total
of three dozen people living with them.